In a multitude of commercial applications, it is common to employ conveyor belts for the purpose of transporting products and materials. Such conveyor belts can serve in applications which have minimal demands, moderate demands, or in applications which are extremely demanding and which require heavy-duty conveyor belts. Conveyor belts can also very greatly in size and length. For instance, the conveyor belts used in mining applications can be very wide, for instance ten feet wide, and very long, for example, on the order of many miles. They can also be up to about three inches thick or even thicker. In any case, heavy-duty conveyor belts are widely used for moving minerals, coal, and a wide variety of manufactured products from one point to another. For instance, heavy-duty conveyor belts are often used in typical mining applications to transport minerals below the ground, to above the surface, and ultimately above ground to a desired location for processing and/or ultimately for transportation on rail road cars, trucks, barges, or ships.
Conventional conveyor belts which are used in heavy duty applications are typically comprised of a cured rubber as a top layer (the carry cover layer), a cured rubber as a bottom layer (the pulley cover layer), and a steel reinforcement layer which is situated between the top layer and the bottom layer. The prominent material used in such conveyor belts generally is a moderately flexible elastomeric or rubber-like material, and the belt is typically reinforced by a plurality of longitudinally extending steel cables or cords which are positioned within the belt and extend along the length thereof.
All conveyor belts are, of course, susceptible to normal wear and tear as well as damage from the material being transported and/or harsh environmental conditions. Over the years, substantial improvements have been made in the wear resistance of the rubber used as the cover carry layer of the conveyor belts and the useful service life of conveyor belts has been extended. However, splices between various sections of a conveyor belts is an area where it would be desirable to attain further improvement in durability and strength. To achieve improved splice strength and reliability multiple stage splices are frequently utilized to accomplish these objectives. In fact, multiple stages splices are typically utilized in heavy duty conveyor belts. However, conveyor belts splices continue to be a problem area which can limit the reliability and service life of the belt. There is accordingly a continuing long felt need to improve the durability and strength of the splices of conveyor belts. Achieving this objecting in a cost effective manner has been allusive, but continues to be needed today.